As one type of conventional digital copying machine having an automatic paper selection function, there has been provided a digital copying machine which is arranged so that, when the original is set longitudinally (the longitudinal direction corresponds to the transported and scanned direction), and recording paper of a size based on the original size and magnification for copying is set on one or more paper feeding trays in a laterally fed state (wherein the transported direction of the recording paper coincides with its lateral direction), the laterally set recording paper is always selected and the original image information is rotated by 90 degrees before being outputted to the recording paper. This rotation of the image onto a laterally positioned sheet of paper reduces the time taken for recording the image information for improved copy productivity.
According to the above-mentioned prior art, however, when the original is set longitudinally and the corresponding recording paper set in the laterally fed state is present, because the laterally set recording paper is always selected, when the number of copies to be made repeatedly is small or the corresponding recording paper is set laterally on a paper feeding tray which has the longest transport distance so that making of the first copy is slow, a problem arises in that copy productivity is not always improved. Producitivity in fact can sometimes actually be lowered as compared with the use of longitudinally fed recording paper because of the time required for the image rotating process and the difference in the time needed for making the first copy.